Napster, best known for transforming digital music in the early 2000s, is making a comeback — this time in the world of AI. Today the company announced Napster 26, a new platform designed for creative collaboration with AI, along with Napster View, a $99 holographic display that enables users to interact with 3D AI companions from their Mac desktops.
What is Napster 26?
Napster 26 is described as a complete AI platform for Mac users, allowing access to over 15,000 specialized AI companions. These AI agents span a range of roles such as coding instructors, wellness coaches, designers, business advisors and more. They're all designed to work alongside users in real time.
Think of them as custom GPTs but with faces. Unlike traditional AI chatbots that rely on prompt-and-response interactions, Napster 26 introduces context-aware AI collaborators that understand what’s on your screen and adapt to your workflow.
According to Napster, these AI companions have memory similar to ChatGPT and Claude so it can remember prior conversations, learn your preferences and evolve over time to better support your projects.
The platform can be accessed via web browser starting today, with mobile versions for iOS and Android on the way. PC support is expected in 2026.
Napster View: A glasses-free holographic display
Interstingly enough, the Napster View component isn't too far from what I wrote about in my special report of the world in 2035. Napster View is a glasses-free display that projects 3D AI companions into a dedicated space above your Mac screen. No VR headset or special glasses are required. The idea is to keep AI interactions visually separate from your main workspace while enabling natural, face-to-face conversation.
Napster View also supports live 3D video calls with AI avatars or other users' digital twins; AI-powered representations of real people that can attend meetings or collaborate when you’re unavailable. The device includes push-to-talk privacy controls to ensure users remain in control of when the AI is listening or active.
The Napster 26 ecosystem
Alongside the hardware and platform, Napster is launching what it calls a new creative economy. Users can collaborate not only with AI but with other users and their digital twins. Finished projects can be published directly to the Napster platform, potentially contributing to a broader AI-driven creative community.
According to Napster CEO John Acunto, this new approach removes traditional barriers to expertise such as geography and cost, and positions AI as a full-time creative partner. “This isn't an app,” Acunto says in the press release. “It's the infrastructure for a new era of human creativity."
Bottom line
Napster View is available starting today for $99, which includes one free month of Napster 26 access. Subscription plans will be offered after the first month. A Mac download is required to use the platform. Users can visit napster.ai/apps to place an order or download the app.
With this launch, Napster 26 aims to redefine AI interaction by replacing traditional chatbot interfaces with embodied, real-time collaborators—complete with holographic presence. Whether this new hardware-software bundle resonates with mainstream users remains to be seen, but it's a notable evolution from the company that once disrupted the music world.
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